Dreich Day

Today, as you know, is the first day of Summer.

It rained all day, clouds cover the earth, 

and may do similar tomorrow.

 

Ah Summer Time!

We have missed the worst of the summer storms around here.  The other night I noticed, around four in the morning, lightning flashing in the distance, no thunder was heard but some claim it was noted elsewhere in town.  I suggest they were just light sleepers. Today there was no lightning, no thunder just a long shower lashing rain on the unfortunates who, dressed for summer, were caught out walking in the open when it arrived.  I didn't laugh at the drookit men waking past heading for a pub to dry off.
Now, shortly afterwards, the sun shines brightly, the day is very warm though a bit humid and I am once again inside.  No reason to go outside, no money to spend and nothing I need buy until tomorrow.  So I just sit here joining in the newspaper online columns grumbling about things and offering my twopence worth.  Already by nine this morning I had one enemy for life!  Good going I say. 

 
Is it just me or are blogs being used less these days?
True it is that I have done little in recent days.  I have not got out and about as I would like and there has been little to see in this little town.  Indeed the only nearby event I missed because I was asleep all day!  I know others have been sick, some have changed circumstances and life moves on but it appears from here that there are fewer to read these days and like me they are less regular in their production. 
However from this end I am making a start in doing something about my health, something about life in general and hoping to save cash at the same time.  I may even get out and about and see some of the summer activities that occur.  The trouble with these is the belief that everyone has a car and can reach out of the way places where train and bus do not run!  These often occur on a Sunday also, the day public transport in out of the way places does not run!  Grrrrr!
Being stuck inside in a small town does not offer a lot of variety even though there are events occurring.  Anyway I want to get out and see things that I have missed or did not know about, this area has many hidden away and I need to find an attractive (and not too bright) woman to drive me about so I can see them.

But good news, there is football on telly tonight!
What...?
The same to you!

Summer, Rain and Old Man

Summer is with us, I can tell by the rain!
I have an old tape of a series of 15 minute programmes re King George V diaries.  These cover 1914 and the year leading up to war.  In all he details the weather first, he was after trained by the Royal Navy and weather watching comes natural to those working outside let alone at sea.  From January right into July his comments almost always feature cold winds and rain!  On occasions it is warm enough to set up the tent and work outside in the garden but even by July 22nd he is complaining of 'Rain again' and 'You would not believe it was July.'  
When war erupts (the UK war began on 4th July) the weather was lovely and people had a days holiday to scamper down to the s ea or head for country pubs.  On returning they discovered they were at war.  No doubt it rained again after that.
Now being officially old I had to confirm my details with the local council and posted the details in their letterbox this afternoon.  I then walked in the cloudy sunshine around town looking for bargains and got caught in the rain.  Innit though? 
The details posted show I am now officially too old for anything but voting Conservative and visiting the 'Derby & Joan' club.  For the past 15 years I have however been officially able to buy one of those retirement properties for the over 50's (not that I have money) and wonder why 50 is still seen as old?  With my good looks people often mistake me for someone in his twenties (oh yes they do) and I am amazed at the aged faces around me who are considerably younger and often more unfit.
One postie I have known for about 15 years has always looked to be on the verge of retirement yet she is still not of that age!  Incredible!  Next door the two folks I once thought had retired are only around 55!  They look much older but I suppose that much alcohol can have that effect.  In the museum we allow old people to enter at half price and on occasion I have to guess carefully what the age is, it is not easy to tell.  I have got into trouble once or twice this way unsettling a woman or two who was touchy about her years.  Most of course are happy for me to argue they are only 39 and chancing it.
There are times in your life when age matters.  Being a teenager, reaching 18 and officially allowed in pubs or to drive or whatever you have been banned from until then, although in other nations the age may differ of course.  Waking up one day and realising you are the age you always considered 'old' or 'Granddaddyish' and realising you are now old is another!  Now I have reached 65 and the paperwork says 'You are now useless, just death to come, please move quickly to Bournemouth or Eastbourne.'  Rejoice!  Rejoice! 

Summer Drizzle

Stupidity some say is inbuilt.  I disagree.  Stupidity of a sort is inbuilt, with slow thinking, inability to consider all options, a lack of concentration or care but this is not enough!  Oh no I can assure you this is not enough!  I inherited the family trait of stupidity but this was not early enough to enable me to fail so spectacularly as I have down through the years, oh no, I had to work at it and work hard.  Anyone can make it through life by being stupid, only those who practice can manage to grasp the wrong end off an electric cable, spray an aerosol on a fire or look down the barrel of a gun to work out why it was jammed -then pull the trigger.  These things take practice.

Anyway I have not down these things, recently anyway, but I did run about the town looking for tools for the bike and fail to find them.  This morning, as the Bank Holiday rain teemed down, I got myself ready to travel on the free bus to Halfords to spend money.  As I did so it crossed my mind there was a yellow tub with bike things somewhere under everything else, so I took a look.  Inside I found the yellow box filled with bike bits.  There was no tool to turn the nut however, that remained missing.  However removing from the box I discovered a mass of small items that once had a purpose and many that had been used once and forgotten, among which was a double headed spanner for turning wheelnuts on bikes!  This had disappeared an eon ago and now I knew why.  That said I still journeyed down to Halfords on the bus in spite of the now drizzle like weather.  A cloud lay over us, hovering just above the tops of lamposts drizzling on those who dared to walk out.

A wander through Halfords, being ignored by the surly chap playing with a very expensive bike, this revealed the tools I might need in any off a hundred situations if I was cycling far, not that I will be these days.  I bought nothing as I could not remember the size of inner tubes I need or much else about the bike.  Technical things were designed only to expose my stupidity.  At least I now know where to find things, the local shops being useless.

I wandered through the shopping centre, famous for the 'outlet shops' those who sell the stuff proper shops failed to sell, and was struck by the prices on offer.  Barbour for instance sell jackets worth £250 for £179, shoes retail at prices well upwards of £80 and more, other shops know suckers when they see them and even that early in the morning, drizzle or not, the place was full of families seeking goodies!

Yet did I see a happy face?  No I did not!

There are people in the UK who depend on foodbanks, there are many striving to survive on disability allowance or some other meagre benefit, always considered 'scroungers' by the 'Daily mail' and other Tory media.  Yet there is vast wealth in the UK and that could be seen by the cars queuing up to get in the car parks, the fat men bulging through their T-shirts (English men in shorts & T-shirts in spite of the damp!), and the miserable people buying things they do not need. 

Wealth makes us happy. That is, if we have enough we can be satisfied but always and ever there is something else we MUST HAVE even if it really is just a shiny thing that passes in a moment.  The eye sees more than the stomach requires, but we go for it anyway.  Our houses are full of things, things which have not been used for years perhaps, items that cost loads yet we never use, now we complain we have no money!  

Having endured a long period of pauperism, missing out on Christmas, travel, holidays, and new things I now find myself with a bit more in my new state of mere poverty.  The temptation to buy things because I can was real today, as was the sickening feeling when too many things are bought.  What I need, and there are many requirements that must be met, are not the same as what I find I must have.  Things for the bike were required, books I bought were more or less required, the jacket was required but did I need to consider that thing I pondered on this morning (a thing that I cannot now remember what it was!)?  The money was there so the object became important.  Maybe we have too much money floating around, maybe we would be happier if we wanted less and spent less?  People smile more in India and Africa so I am told, what does that tell us if true?

Meanwhile...

     

 Summer continues as it has always done...

Rain Stopped Play

Rain stopped play.

The Longest Day Once More

The middle of the year comes round again and all that was missing was the sun.  The mist so deep and cloud cover all day until now meant it spoiled the day somewhat.  That will not please these Italian chaps who have been set in the town centre in what the council call a 'Solstice Special.'  Usually there are more stall like these but I suspect there are many such events this weekend.

Items like this grab my attention until I notice the price!  I know Italy is a long way but I'm not paying for your petrol mate!  Still I could eat those quite easily.  I wonder if any fall off during the night?

Kids are well catered for, although they appear in short supply at the moment.  I suspect tonight there will be more action, certainly tomorrow this man will make some money.  The one at the back ties the kids in and bounces them up to a height.  She would not let me on claiming I was to big even though I am merely 8 stone.

How I wanted that Candy Floss, sadly no-one was in the stall and my money was in the bank.  Several folks were attempting to Hook-a-Duck and at least one brat had himself a prize.

The usual things abounded here, Bouncy Castles who also banned me, Puppet Theatre, A man on stilts with a small bike, and a Town Crier who I heard but luckily avoided.  There was also a man with balloons.  He was twisting a Poodle around until it became a balloon and sold it to the children.  I hope it doesn't burst!

On my way back I was fascinated by the wee plants growing on this wall.  Sadly I could not get a proper picture of them.  Nice mind.

.

Early Morn

I shocked myself this morning by rising not long after five and being on the bike by quarter to six.  The shock being that I have not been on the bike for weeks and the sun shining compelled me to get out there before the postmen get up.  Naturally by the time I had propelled myself fifty yards the gray clouds began to gather.  However the foliage along the old railway was abundant this morning.  The picture does not give a decent shot of the colours to be found in these wild plants that lined the pathway.  The warmer weather does make life so much better!   However once I had spent half an hour on the bike, wandered around town to stop my knees stiffening I then had the joy of going back to bed!  

Nothing much else happened.

How I endure such an active life I know not.  

I did once again attempt to finish my speil on the local regiment during the Great War, once more I found myself rewriting it from the beginning.  Scrawling things on here is one thing, writing something for folks to read is hard, especially when facts honestly given turn out to be wrong!  Bah!  It's hard being illiterate, whatever that means.

From here I can glimpse the red sky in the distance, too difficult to photograph from here, and find this sky curiously satisfying.  What is it that makes the world around us so attractive and refreshing for the mind?  The greens of the vegetation, the colours of the sky, the fragrance of flowers all make the day worth having, no mater what else is occurring.  Lovely, whatever it is.

Hmmm, I seem to be in a good mood, I must read the 'Daily Mail' that will soon fix that!

.

It's STILL Summer!

Unbelievable!  The sun shone once again today, and I was too hot walking home this afternoon! Jings, crivvens, and help ma boab!  Who would have thought summer would last three days?  There are rumours it may persist further, but I will wait and see for myself on that one.   So it's time for long cold drinks, sitting in the light, feeding the birdies, and watching the girls pass by the swifts fly overhead.  Lovely Jubbly and someone once said.

I spent a couple of happy hours at an informal gathering of volunteers at the museum in the afternoon.  Much the usual kind of 'get to know you' sort of thing, with a huge slice of chocolate which fell onto my plate by mistake.  We met in the Victorian Schoolroom, used by a lass who terrifies the kids with a practical demonstration of Victorian schooling.  They usually hate it!  The desks are just like the ones we used, and probably were in use by the time the school closed in 1990.  
A jolly time was had by all and then I noticed the box full of dirty plates had been placed beside me.  Hmm I thought, I've seen this done before!  I collected said box, to aid the feeble woman by carrying box to kitchen, the woman's place.  Suddenly I found myself alone, the door closed and my hands in the bowl!  Next thing they were all saying goodbye and I was up to my neck in washed cups.  
It happens every time!

Sunshine, blue sky and occasional cloud.  Good innit?

.

A Summer's Day........

.

April Showers

As summer lashed against the window I noticed the BBC and others were claiming the US and UK had found evidence of chemical weapons, Sarin, being used by Assad in Syria.  In fact there is no 'evidence,' just US intelligence agencies believed 'with varying degrees of confidence,' that Syria had used chemical weapons.  Hmmm.  No journalists have been allowed into the area where this 'discovery' was made.  No independent evidence has been proffered.  No faith can be placed in the agencies involved.  As the US claimed months ago Assad was using them, and lied, and as Assad has no reason at this time to use such a weapon, why should we trust such a report?  The US is already offering weapons to the 'rebels,' whoever they actually are.  The UK is rushing to support, while wary of the WMD shambles, clearly someone has decided to enter Syria in force, just as the successfully did in Iraq!   The things folks do to stop Iran having nuclear weapons, yet do nothing about Pakistan's.  Which nation is more unstable I ask?     

Now that I have sat in here all day scouring the web for ancient houses in this district, and finding they are called 'tenements' or 'messuages,' not houses, I note the clouds have moved on and the sun is shining.  I suppose we ought to be glad the rain is not freezing cold, instead it was somewhat tepid.  Raking up the town's past is interesting when every so often a report arises from an individual brought before the Assize and 'recognized' with the support of two others, to stop beating harassing or troubling some other citizen.  The same names crop up, sometimes centuries apart, showing how long lived some folks family have been.  What is surprising is how little can be discovered about men who were important in their day but now lie forgotten in one of the variety of churchyards.  I gather masses of trivia but little real info so far.  Still, it keeps me off the streets.

Though April showers may come your way,

They bring the flowers that bloom in May.

So if it's raining, have no regrets,

Because it isn't raining rain, you know, (It's raining violets,)

And where you see clouds upon the hills,

You soon will see crowds of daffodils,

So keep on looking for a blue bird, And list'ning for his song,

Whenever April showers come along.

Can someone tell Al Jolson that if May is not a flood of Violets there will be trouble!

August Bank Holiday

Rain!

More Rain

And MORE to come!

Summer?  Bah!

.

Summer Afternoon Sky

.

I noticed these interesting rib like shapes in the clouds as I tramped back from the market with my shop soiled, reduced price bananas this afternoon.  I am not sure if the warmth in the air was because the clouds keep the heat trapped in or because the sun is attempting to break through them and impersonate summer!
I neither knew nor cared. I was really just looking for some sort of picture, for without one snap there is something missing in my life these days. A PC and a digital camera, How did we live before these things were discovered?  Cyrus may have built a large empire, however he could never photograph anything as he did not have the technology, and he was called 'Great!'  Many powerful men have lived on this earth, but we can take pictures and manipulate them on the PC, they couldn't!  Pah!  Who needs an empire anyway?


And now for some dodgy theology but lovely music. 


                           



.

Summer

.

As a male voice forced its way through 'Summertime' with all the grace of a cannonball through a shop window the thunder died away and the rain came straight down. The thermometer may read 78 degrees in here but outside the rain in overflowing the gutters and making me very glad I am inside. This may please the farmers but does nothing for me. This sort of weather may be well enough in Malaysia or Aberdeen but it does not fit in well in the wilderness of Essex. Bring back the sun I say!

Maggie Thatchers handbag was sold at auction today and raised £25,000 from a Cypriot who studied in London during her reign of terror. She, like all good politicians and actors, used this bag as a prop enabling cartoonists to also use it , showing her wielding it like a club over all that stood in her way. Now it has gone, and soon so shall she.  I suppose none of the three million she put out of work, many of whom never worked again, would have gone to the auction and made a bid?  Probably couldn't afford the bus fare.....  

The 'Scottish Sun,' that bastion of morality and honest journalism, has yet more on Mr Thomson. Another girl talks of him pestering her (how much was she paid) and claims 'dozens,' or should that be 'DOZENS,' of others (unnamed) were also 'sickened' by his actions. These have not yet come forward nor informed the police it appears. He is called a 'SEX PERVERT' yet once again I ask how many homosexuals or lesbians work for the 'Sun?'  What defines a 'pervert' anyway? Who decides? Not the 'Sun' that's for sure. Just because the girls were young does not equal perverse, perversion occurs in adults also. This paper will lose interest in the sensational story the minute Rangers announce the signing of another European nonentity and will return to pandering to the sectarian duo. The lynch mob howling at his door however, gays included, will be happy the club have bowed to pressure and suspended the man. This was the very least action the club could take, and should have taken earlier. However I wonder how many of the screaming banshees have looked at porn recently? That at least is normal for some men, even if unwise, but what exactly do they look at, and is it all really either 'helpful or 'decent?'  Talk about 'throwing the first stone....'

.

The UK Summer

Here we are in the middle of 'Flaming June' when the temperature reaches for the skies!  Unfortunately the Americans send us their old hurricanes and left over rain clouds and this spoils the season somewhat. This picture is typical British summertime!  The sun shines brightly on the trees and thunderclouds line up behind ready to wash the land below. This one burst about an hour ago and it is still raining now, although not with the venom thrown at the beginning.

I cleaned out a couple of cupboards the other day and as you do made some great finds!  For one I found a Black ink cartridge for the printer, and this after I had struggled around trying to find a cheap one the other week when one ran out. Isn't it the way? Among the dust, clearly someone had died in that drawer, there was a mass of photographs long forgotten.  I scanned some of the more acceptable ones in and among them was a picture I took of typical Edinburgh New Town railings. Many of these must have been nicked during the war when a all railings were used for the war effort, even though most were of little use, and I suppose being part of gardens owned by the 'important people' these were allowed to remain!  Some things never change. This is the sort of thing Edinburgh folk pass every day and take for granted, it is only by living so far away that I notice such things when I return. It is always the way that good pictures are all around but because it is a daily occurrence we cannot see them!  Another picture is found on my Photo page. 

As you come down the steps from Calton Hill onto Waterloo place, not advised after visiting the local hostelries, you will note the rail that divides the stairs. At the bottom of each is this skillful representation of a lion, often found wandering around Edinburgh, making a nice end to the rail. It doesn't say much, it just sticks the tongue out as you pass.  

   

 .

Summertime

You can tell it's summertime by the rain!

This picture was published in the 'Daily Mail' this morning. In between the many (far too many) articles demanding benefit claimants are hanged, drawn and quartered, and that all MP's are grasping thieves, they occasionally offer something interesting or, as in this case, 'sweet!'  Here we find eleven young Long Tailed Tits sitting on a branch being fed by mum. For some reason she looks a bit worn, I wonder why? I did read somewhere that Blue Tits catch around 18,000 caterpillar beasties for their young. I wonder how hard this mum and dad have been working in recent days? The harsh winter has badly affected small birds this year, so many less around here in comparison to last summer, but at least these residing in the RSPB reserve in Yorkshire will be supported in their new life.

You may remember the story of 'Half Hangit Maggie' from a while back. The lass who was hanged and considered dead, yet revived on the way to her burial. An e-book, "The Hanging of Margaret Dickson" by Alison. J Butler, is now available on Amazon.com, price 99 cents. .

May

I read somewhere today that the 1st day of May was the beginning of 'Summer.' I am not sure if that is true, but as it has rained constantly for three days and the northern wind has been dumping left over volcanic ash onto us, along with the blossom petals flung from these trees I suspect it might be summer after all.